By Charles Katabalwa/Umoja Standard.
Kampala, Uganda: The Minister for East African Affairs Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga together with other delegates from East African Community (EAC) has launched Swahili as an Official language for Uganda and urged Ugandans embrace it to ease cross border trade and communication.
Speaking to journalists at African hotel in Kampala today during the 2nd East African Community (EAC) Kiswahili Language Day cerebrated under theme : Kiswahili and Multilingualism: Achieving More Together, Kadaga called upon Ugandans to embrace Swahili language saying knowing more than one lauguage is healthy and can help someone to do business in any part of the world., ” I know Swahili which help me to do business in east Africa, Africa and some parts of the world, I know French, English, Luganda and my Mother tongue language Lusoga all which are used for communication ” kadaga revealed
“In a time of four years, government of Uganda will roll out a plan of making Swahili compulsory at Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in addition to the original subjects of English, Mathematics, SST and Science aiming to help Swahili be embaraced in Uganda” kadaga adds
Meanwhile Edward Ssebina the Commissioner for Education at the Ministry Of East African Affairs said that they intend to translate and interpret the language to local communities in addition to training sign language interpreters.
Professor E. F Semiotic from the University of Dar-es-Salam said Swahili will act as a catalyst for the development of science and technology in Uganda.